Subsidy Removal: Ogun Govt Approves Palliatives For Workers, Residents

Ogun State government has announced palliatives to ameliorate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on the people of the people.

In a statement issued last night by the secretary to the state government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi, he said Governor Dapo Abiodun had approved the immediate implementation of cash palliative of N10,000 for each public servant including pensioners to enable them cope with the economic shocks occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy for a period of three months in the first instance with effect from July 2023.

The governor also approved hazard allowance for all health and medical personnel in the state.

Others are a peculiar allowance for public servants, the immediate release of letters of promotion in respect of 2021 and 2022 and the payment of March and April 2023 leave bonuses for public servants and cash-backing for the quarterly payment of gratuities to pensioners.

Ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were directed to work out modalities of ensuring that 20 per cent of their staff strength are off-duty daily to ease the effect of recent increase in fuel price among Public Servants.

The state will also commence the distribution of food palliatives to the vulnerable (rice, garri, beans, daize etc) while the Gateway Trading Company was mandated to establish food distribution outlets across the state and to sell the items at the rate obtainable in the market before the removal of fuel subsidy.

The SSG said a commodity exchange will be established to ensure the optimisation of current and future investment in the agro-allied sector of the economy in line with President Bola Tinubu’s war on food insecurity.

Others are the distribution of fertilisers and other farm inputs to farmers at subsidised and control prices, the full implementation of the administration’s Energy Transition Strategy with  the launch of electric motorbikes and tricycles all over the state.

Talabi said there would immediate conversion of State Mass Transit buses to CNG including staff buses and current public transportation buses in circulation to reduce the cost of transportation by charging rates comparable to what obtained before deregulation. The first set are in the final stages and will be introduced to the roads soon.

He said the government would acquire additional new CNG buses to ease transportation in the state charging fares comparable to what obtained before the fuel subsidy removal.

On road infrastructure intervention, Talabi said all local governments working with community development associations and community leaders are to submit three roads which require immediate intervention as part of the palliative programmes.